About ILRI

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science; improving the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; and protecting the rice-growing environment for future generations. IRRI is an independent, nonprofit, research and educational institute, founded in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations with support from the Philippine government. The institute, headquartered in Los Baños, Philippines, has offices in 17 rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa, and over 1,000 staff.

Working with in-country partners, IRRI develops advanced rice varieties that yield more grain and better withstand pests and disease as well as flooding, drought, and other harmful effects of climate change.

Job Purpose

The Research Officer – GIS is responsible to Monitoring and characterization of climate smart agricultural practices and assessment of performance of DSR varieties and practices of small holding farmers (SHF) in different rice growing environments of Kenya using different scales of hyperspectral and other earth observation data;The incumbent will support scientists/ project staff by flying the hyperspectral drone over sampled plots and collecting hyper spec datasets and timely field/crop data using handheld instruments and develop standard models to monitor the DSR practices and adoptions at local field scale;Facilitate the execution and implementation of planned Geospatial activities in close coordination with local National partners and other stakeholders.

The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and may only be filled by permanent citizens of the Kenya.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Monitor the DSR effectiveness in each environment by collecting hyperspectral drone/satellite data and other field/crop parameters over the sample fields.
• Test the possibility of using hyperspectral data to monitor and characterize the agricultural management practices, DSR yield and DSR adaptation traits in hybrids and varieties in different environments
• Develop the models to monitor the environment, plant health and assessment of performance of DSR varieties at local field scale
• Characterize the variation in best practices, fertilizer practices & water use (avoidance or duration of flooding) by reducing flooding
• Develop multiple RS based indices to assess water, nutrient usage of the plants and generate the empirical equation to determine yield
• Modeling alternative ways to determine DSR growth and fertilizer and nutrient use will be carried out through usage of Hyper spectral data, environmental variables such as high-resolution DEM, climatic variables and subsequent satellite images for scaling
• Use lock step scaling of local to satellite Hyper spectral data
• Analyze the datasets, and contribute to the writing of reports, research papers and other communication material
• Manage the primary and secondary data collection process in field soil, water, weather, crop establishment methods and practices etc.;
• Acquire, process, transform, and extract information from acquired hyperspectral imagery
• Inform the immediate supervisor on the development of hyperspectral drone acquisition, image processing, and GIS based activities
• Work closely with project team members to ensure full understanding of the scope, priorities, and deadlines of the activities
• Collaborate with scientists at advance research institutes and in the private sector to develop new research products
• Assist project leaders and/or collaborating partners to define the scope of research activities
• Contribute to the organization of advisory committee, and other meetings and monitoring/ execution of actions to be taken related to their units /sub-units
• Lead the efforts on biannual/annual/other reports preparation of institute and associated projects of theme/ sub-theme
• Actively contribute to the drafting communication materials, news, bulletins, etc.
• Participation / contribution to visits, meetings, workshops, farmers fairs and etc.
• Ensure timely delivery of processed and orthorectified drone based geospatial products to the project team
• Ensure the timely completion of high-quality deliverables
• Collect, store and curate data generated from the analytics
• Communicate research results and new ideas in a broad array of outlets, including peer-reviewed journals, mass media, policy fora as well as national and international scientific conferences

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Geospatial Science, Agriculture, Geography, Environmental Science, or other related

Skills Required

• Has extensive proven technical proficiency in remote sensing and GIS with proven skills in
• Experience working with hyperspectral and multispectral image analysis
• Technical proficiency in operating drone mounted with hyperspectral / multispectral sensors, and
• Crop types mapping, vegetation phenology, cropping system mapping, and database management, analytics using physical (soil, water and climate) and farmer databases.
• Proven knowledge of field data collection and agro-management practices
• Has good working knowledge of remote sensing and GIS software, Database and software such as ERDAS, ENVI and e-Cognition and drone image processing tools like Pix4D, Agisoft and other opensource etc.
• Substantial experience in scripting such as R and Google Earth Engine
• Certified Drone pilot license
• Experience of any of statistical analysis and logical development of
• Experience working with large team and different disciplines.
• Experience with working on multiple remote sensing datasets like satellite & drone images

Terms of Appointment

This position is at job level HG 14 and it is only open to Kenyan nationals. The position is a 2-year contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding. ILRI offers a competitive salary and benefits package which includes pension, medical and other insurances.

How to apply: Applicants should go to the ILRI job advertisement and click “Apply Now” on or before 5 July 2023.

We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

To find out more about ILRI visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org

ILRI is an equal-opportunity employer.